Lowe Alpine Systems developed the Tri-Cams and had C.A.M.P. make the originals. Lowe was an American company and Americans commonly refered to these as Lowe Tri-cams. C.A.M.P. referred to these as Lo-Cams. C.A.M.P.'s original engineering drawing for sizes #1 through #4 was completed on June 29, 1981. The original drawings for sizes #5-#6 and for #7 were completed on July 7, 1981. Half-sizes from #0.5 through #3.5 came later.
Denis Pivot of C.A.M.P. provided the following information on C.A.M.P.'s relationships with other manufacturers:
CAMP – Interalp
In 1968, CAMP entrusted its French multi-card agent, Mr. Robert Charles Maillot, with the marketing of its products outside Italy. Through his company INTERALP, Maillot distributed various brands of mountain equipment in Europe and thus helped to make CAMP known outside Italy. In the 1970s, it was common to stamp the manufacturer and distributor brand on equipment, such as Robbins (distributor in the USA of the Alpélit brand) and Alpélit (French manufacturer of ice axes).
Over time, INTERALP focused on developing its own company and hid CAMP's role as designer and manufacturer. CAMP, unable to accept this, withdrew distributing from INTERALP in 1980 and reorganized its distribution network worldwide.
(Without the CAMP brand, the INTERALP company disappeared in a few years…)
CAMP - LOWE
The LOWE brothers came to Europe to find a competent industrialist to bring their revolutionary ideas to fruition. After a meeting in Germany, the Lowe brothers and Orazio Codega, CEO of CAMP, had the Hummingbird prototype tested on the north face of Monte Disgrazia in Italy. Orazio, enthusiastic about this field test, concluded an industrial and commercial agreement.
CAMP produced 100% of LOWE equipment of all time, starting with the production of the Hummingbird, then the Footfang, the Snarg ice screw and the Tricam. Commercially, CAMP distributed these LOWE products worldwide except in the USA and Canada where LOWE distributed them through its sales channel. At the beginning of the distribution in Europe, Salewa dealt with the Germanic countries. This explains the 4 brands stamped on the Hummingbird: LOWE for North America, SALEWA for the Germanic countries, CAMP for the rest of the world and INTERALP as a sales agent for CAMP.
In return, LOWE distributed CAMP in the USA and CAMP distributed LOWE backpacks in Italy. These years of close collaboration between the two brands created very strong ties. When LOWE decided to stop producing the hardware equipment, CAMP continued to produce it under its own brand and that is why the Tricams are still in the CAMP catalog.
Looking at my own Tri-Cams, I saw that C.A.M.P. produced Tri-Cams uwith four company identifications on their tags: (1) Lowe, CAMP, Interalp, and Salewa, (2) Lowe, CAMP & Salewa, (3) Lowe & CAMP, and (4) CAMP only. The first of these was puzzling since there was an apparent inconsistency between CAMP terminating their Interalp relationship in 1980 and not designing the Tri-Cams until 1981. I wrote to Dennis for clarification. He replied with the following:
Your question allows me to clarify some dates by searching for evidence in the CAMP catalogs and with CAMP R&D.
Lowe had a distribution agreement in Europe: Salewa distributed in Germany and Austria, and CAMP in the other European countries.
The catalogues were printed one year before the year marked on the catalogues, so the photos and Tri-Cam labels were made in 1979 when Interalp was still the distributor of CAMP. The year indicated is the catalog year and it may vary by a year due to existing stock and the time required to modify the tooling.
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↑ Set 288, …, 411: Lowe/C.A.M.P./etc. Tri–Cams; #0.5–#7
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↑ 288: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #0.5
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↑ 407: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Interalp/Salewa Tri–Cam; #1
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↑ 289: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Salewa Tri–Cam; #1
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↑ 408: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Salewa Tri–Cam; #1.5
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↑ 290: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Salewa Tri–Cam; #1.5
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↑ 806: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Salewa Tri–Cam; #1.5
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↑ 291: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #2
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↑ 079: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #3.5
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↑ 409: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #4
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↑ 332: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Salewa Tri–Cam; #5
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↑ 807: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #5
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↑ 802: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Salewa Tri–Cam; #6
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↑ 410: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #6
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↑ 411: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Salewa Tri–Cam; #7
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↑ 805: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #7
I know no way to distinguish older Lowe/C.A.M.P. vs. C.A.M.P. Tri-cams other than by reading the label. The labels on these Tri-cams are illegible or missing.
I obtained these as part of a set where the ones with legible tags were Lowe/C.A.M.P./Salewa and Lowe/C.A.M.P. Tri-cams.
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↑ Set 803, 804, 801: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cams; #2, #2.5, #3
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↑ 803: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cam; #2
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↑ 804: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cam; #2.5
I obtained these as part of a set where the ones with legible tags were C.A.M.P. Tri-cams.
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↑ Set 073-077: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cams; #0.5–#2.5
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↑ 073: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cam; #0.5
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↑ 074: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cam; #1
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↑ 075: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cam; #1.5
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↑ 076: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cam; #2
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↑ 077: C.A.M.P. (incerta notam) Tri–Cam; #2.5
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↑ Set 078, 080-082: C.A.M.P. Tri–Cams; #3, #4, #6, #7
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↑ 078: C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #3
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↑ 080: C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #4
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↑ 081: C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #6
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↑ 082: C.A.M.P. Tri–Cam; #7